Inside Elite Boats: Jordan Lee

For his 2017 Bassmaster Classic winning season, Lee ran a Legend V-20 with a fetching gray and orange color scheme.

Photo: Seigo Saito

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The front of this boat was the stage for the biggest win of Lee's fishing career on Texas' Lake Conroe.

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A trolling motor for quiet navigation calls the front of the boat home.

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Lee chose a Minn Kota Ultrex for the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series season.

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The metal Troll-Tamer is a lock and stabilizer to keep the motor secure when navigating rough water.

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A sturdy handle is another add-on to ensure no trolling motor issues during high-pressure tournament situations.

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Lee's boat is also equipped with three Lowrance HDS-12 electronic systems.

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The one on the bow is attached using a T-H Marine Kong electronics mount.

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The heavy-duty mount can help prevent an expensive loss if the boat bounces around on big waves.

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The front of the boat is where most of Lee's work is done during the typical tournament day. The space includes anchor controls, a recessed foot pedal and a small storage box.

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The storage box holds soft plastics that Lee plans to use for the day. Storing them here saves time and prevents the need to dig inside other storage compartments. The compartment also has a USB port built in for charging phones and other electronic items. "We all have a dead phone on the water."

Photo: Seigo Saito

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Next, Lee opens up the boat's left rod locker.

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Lee estimates that he has between 12 and 20 rods on hand during most tournaments.

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The selection of rod and reel combos includes a lot of Quantum rods. Smoke HD are the main models Lee uses. Quantum's KVD rods are another choice popular with Lee - the KVD cranking rods and low-profile baitcasting rods.

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"I have rod gloves on all them. It helps keep my eyelets from getting knicks in them, so you don't have to worry about them as much."

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Quantum's Tour PT is one of Lee's favorite rods, and it can be used with a lot of different baits and presentations including jigs, chatterbaits and when sight fishing. The reel Lee utilizes for 60 percent of his fishing is a Smoke HD 7.3:1.

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In the boat's large center box, Lee stores 20 to 25 different Plano tackleboxes.

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The soft lid holds a few lures that Lee was using before the photoshoot.

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The boxes Lee trusts are all waterproof, and this compartment holds all his hard baits, soft baits and terminal tackle. "Whatever I think I'm going to use for practice and the tournament I usually keep in there," Lee says. "Every now and then I'll dig in the back of my truck and get different things out and put in there."

"My favorite color is just a black Sexy Frog. I've caught more fish on that frog than just about any other color."

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As Lee shows off the boxes, it's easy to see they're neatly labeled.

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"It took me all winter to label them, but I labeled them. It's really helped me. It cuts down on time and you just feel better knowing it's labeled properly, and you can get to it easier."

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This box of weights surely gets heavy use during the Elite Series.

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This box of hooks looks highly organized with each type stored in its original packaging. "I carry three different style hooks - a lot of flipping hooks, different SuperLine hooks and some offset shank hooks."

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Next up is Lee's box of structure bugs.

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Lee reveals that the structure bugs are one of his favorite shallow flipping baits.

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Though he has six different color choices, he particularly likes the green pumpkin color scheme.

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The lighter belly may help attract finicky fish.

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Next up is Lee's box of swim jigs.

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He mainly carries two different jig sizes - 1/4 and 3/8 ounce.

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He has three different colors on hand - black/blue, white and green pumpkin/bluegill colors.

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An eye-catching orange accent is added to this color scheme.

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When it comes to crankbaits, Lee keeps three different size Strike King cranks on his boat - 1.0, 1.5 and 2.5.

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"I keep a variety of different colors in there so whatever situation I come across I'll have one with me."

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"I don't carry a lot of different squarebills. I just have one box."

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When asked to pick his favorite, Lee reaches for a chartreuse Sexy Shad and holds it up for the camera.

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The next box holds a selection of 3.75 Rage Swimmers.

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The color selections in this box seem to skew to towards natural shades.

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White is a popular color when competing on a fishery with active shad spawns.

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Lee's box of round hooks again shows how diligent he was in labeling before the 2017 season.

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Clearly listing the sizes can make a hook change easy and convenient.

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The next box holds Lee's array of skipping jigs.

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He stores two sizes in this box - 3/8 and 1/2 ounce.

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Four colors make up the jig selection.

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The stragglers get one more close look before Lee closes this compartment.

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In the right storage bin, Lee has an assortment of items including soft plastics...

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...the different hats he'll wear during a tournament day...

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...and two mysterious boxes. Lee said he couldn't open the boxes at the time the photos were taken.

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"We've got a couple of new reels coming out that Quantum will have available. They'll be released sometime soon, but I've got to keep them on the down-low for now. They give me a few to use, try out and make sure everything is working well before they release it to the public."

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This compartment is also home to different spinnerbaits.

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Two sizes are kept organized in this box...

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...with two different sizes in this box.

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Next up is Lee's junk box. "That's my Michael Iaconelli box. We all know he has a bunch of junk in his. That's after a tournament, trying on different baits. You don't feel like putting it up so you throw it all in one box, and you clean it up later."

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In this small box is a short note of encouragement from Lee's biggest fan.

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This oddly shaped, handheld light can be used to create brightness on the boat during dark launch mornings.

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"The culling tags are right here. I started doing that this year. It makes it easier so I'm not fumbling around if I catch some fish quick. I keep them on the outside, and I've got six different colors."

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This space holds a collection of handy tools any bass angler will need during a typical day fishing.

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The Classic champion climbs into the captain's seat.

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The boat is equipped with many conveniences including multiple charging ports and a cup/bottle holder. Jack plate and trim controls as well as Power-Pole buttons are close at hand also.

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The boat's other two Lowrance HDS-12s are found on the console. One is flush mounted, and the other is attached with a T-H Marine Kong mount. The unit above the steering wheel will show StructureScan. The second screen will be a three-screen split of chart, sonar and DownScan.

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Any experienced angler will tell you a functional pair of sunglasses can be a valuable tool.

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The box between the seats holds things Lee uses frequently...often in the morning.

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That list includes sunglass cleaner, his cellphone, a culling beam...

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...chips for his electronics...

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...and the all-important sunscreen.

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Heck, Lee remembers he needs a fresh coat right now.

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The box behind the driver's seat holds two life jackets, the Lowrance cases and often a toboggan or an extra hat.

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Gloves can come in handy on cold takeoff mornings as well.

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The box behind the passenger is something of a catch-all storage space.

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Aleve is always at the ready if Lee has a headache inducing day.

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The selection of tools in the space includes a big pair of pliers.

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Next there's some "toilet paper or whatever wipes you want to call them."

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And then there's a hammer? "Having the right tools to fix some small stuff is good."

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Water still bubbles in the boat's livewell.

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In the left rear compartment are the Power-Pole pumps, the cranking battery and a couple of different breakers.

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The back right compartment includes a jumper box.

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"When you have a dead battery, instead of using jumper cables as a first alternative, you can use the jumper box. That usually jumps you off, and you can crank up and run in."

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The Atlas Jack Plate can come in handy when running shallow water. "Everybody has one on their boat now, that fishes the Elites."

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The jack plate is connected to a powerful Mercury 250 Pro XS. The back of the boat also includes Lee's set of 6-foot Power-Poles. The shallow water anchors are another piece of equipment most Elites have adopted.